With Just One Suitcase

With Just One Suitcase

 
This is a true story about two boys, Istvan and Frici, who live two kilometres but worlds apart in Romania. One is Catholic, one is Jewish; one grows up on a farm, the other in the affluent part of town. Life is routine and secure, the future seems predictable and each boy knows his place.

Yet when the Second World War breaks out, the familiar world with its clear divisions disintegrates. Families are torn apart as men are forcibly recruited to fight in the war. As the country comes under Nazi, then later communist control, people are held hostage to an ever-changing political landscape, punctuated by military interventions and fluctuating allegiances. As the chance of a peaceful future becomes more remote, with a totalitarian regime in control, Frici and his brother, already facing persecution as Jews, escape across the border with the help of people smugglers, the authorities in pursuit.

Istvan, just 16 years old, is transported to work in a Russian gulag, before his chance at freedom comes too.

In their parallel journeys, both young men leave their families and beloved homeland to an uncertain future for a shot at freedom in Australia, sacrificing all that is familiar. Facing the challenge of building a new life, they even change their names in an effort to belong.

This epic book, spanning two continents, recounts the story of three generations of two families whose lives unexpectedly intersect in their adopted country. Beautifully capturing the loss faced when war dislocates families, it also tells of the struggles and challenges of starting anew and adapting to a different way of life. With Just One Suitcase serves as a tribute to the courage and resilience of two men who bear the scars of war and face adversity without surrendering their optimism for the future.

About the Author

Cheryl Koenig OAM, is a Sydney-based writer and motivational speaker.

With Just One Suitcase is her fourth book - the family's memoir. Her previous publications are Paper Cranes (2008), The Courage to Care (2007) and There's always hope: just alter the dreams (2006).

Cheryl was named 2009 NSW Woman of the Year, and in 2014 received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to people with dis¬abilities, their families and carers. Her involvement with disability services arose out of caring and advocacy for her son who was severely injured in a vehicle accident. That story was captured in her earlier book Paper Cranes. Cheryl continues to volunteer her time to improve health care services, which she combines with her passion for writing.

With Just One Suitcase is Cheryl's homage to her father, Frici, and her father-in-law, Istvan; and her belief in the importance of history to understanding ourselves.

Specifications:

  • ISBN : 9780987178589
  • Product Type : Book
  • Format : Paperback
  • Author : Cheryl Koenig
  • Language : ENG
  • Country of Publication : AU
GTIN: 9780987178589

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